The Jungle Series Discussion
by Corration
Summary: This is not an actual story. A lot of people have read this trilogy *I appreciate. Thanks!*. I will just discuss a few things and state my opinions before I officially end this trilogy. It's time for this author to discuss the Jungle Series and review it.
1. Introduction

Hello, my dear and faithful readers. As mentioned on my profile, this is going to be a review and recap on the Jungle series. The Jungle series include three stories: Jungle Instincts, Jungle Confidence, and Jungle Faith in that order. If you haven't read the stories, I suggest you read them before you read this discussion. It's one of the most success stories I have written. Each has easily gained over a 1000 hits. Jungle Instincts alone gained over 5,000 hits in June, making it the main story of that month. Its sequel and my Land Before Time story: "The Great Valley Search" were placed top three that month for hits, each getting over a thousand hits. I would like to thank those viewers taking the time to read these stories. I really appreciate your support through this trilogy.

I have enjoyed every review, even if it somewhat criticizes my works. It will help me become a better writer, hopefully. As mentioned in that notice story labeled "Dear Readers of Jungle Instincts", I excel more in math than writing and definitely my reading abilities. However, I'm very open-minded so my stories do direct attention to certain things. A classic example of this is found in "Jungle Confidence" when Pepito and Blu are playing tetherball with a rock. I will explain where I got the idea from in detail once I talk about "Jungle Confidence".

There are three reasons why I'm doing this discussion: (1) It's one of the best stories I've made and I feel like I need to explain some things, (2) how the Jungle series came to be and how it almost never became a trilogy, and (3) the three stories were never supposed to be written the way they were written. And plus, it might be good to hear my personal feelings about the series.

Before I discuss the three parts of this trilogy, I will discuss each character in the movie by how they served in the series. I'm not relating to the movie directly, though a few characters might be. So with that out of the way, let me continue with the character summaries.


	2. Characters

This section is a list of all characters used in the Jungle series. They are separated in four parts: Series characters, Instincts characters, Confidence characters, and Faith characters. For reappearing characters as guest stars, it will say this (Also in _)

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><p><strong>Series Characters<strong>

Blu

Blu is just Blu. A macaw directly from the movie. He is the main character. During the series, he is smart, thoughtful, resourceful, clumsy, and awkward in his actions and words. He is also scared about the future, for he doesn't know what to expect. He easily befriends humans who don't threaten his way of life. To comminute with humans, he writes to them in English or displays gestures. He displays some strength and learns to be courageous throughout different points of the series. He can give very good advice, though he can sometimes say the wrong things, which results in bad consequences. He is very open about his past, even if the past events are somewhat major mistakes he made. Throughout the series, he deals with bad dreams, but Jewel luckily is there to make him feel better. He follows the principle: brain beats brawn. Even though he is smart, he still learns throughout the series how to become a better bird for himself, a better mate to Jewel, and a better father to his kids.

Jewel

Though she is the second main character from the first part of the trilogy, her role goes to the supporting main character as the series progresses. Jewel is also directly from the movie. She is a free-spirited bird that has no problem defending herself. Unlike her boyfriend, she can't really communicate with humans through writing. She tries, but she gets criticized for her messages. In the first part of the trilogy, she is in a wing cast. This doesn't stop her from trying to fly or to mate with Blu. Even in the bird sanctuary, she tries her best to persuade Blu into mating with her. She keeps secrets from Blu, being not as opened as he is. She lies about her past, but the truth eventually spills out. Jewel will defend anyone who messes with her mate and her chicks. She is known to have dreams that are just as terrifying as her mate's dreams. Throughout the series, she learns how to be the loving wife of Blu and eventually controls her angry towards her mate and Abe.

Linda

Linda has been the caretaker of Blu for fifteen years. She is a bookstore keeper that moved to Rio as explained in the movie Rio. In the series, she and Tulio have a few discussions with Blu or Jewel or each other talking about the two macaws. Blu spends the most time with her if Jewel isn't around. Linda pampers him, and eventually, Jewel. She will make them cookies, hot chocolate, and cupcakes. She worries about them as much as Tulio, her husband, does.

Tulio

Tulio is the ornithologist of the bird sanctuary and the doctor of several birds. He and his aides help injured birds in order for them to fly freely in the wild. His main concern is the safety of Blu and Jewel. Even though he's a respected doctor, he sometimes can get naïve or carried away. He believes Blu and Jewel more than himself, making him gullible to these birds. In the final part of the series, he gets worried and relies on technology to keep these birds safe. He works with Abe and then the Japanese to keep these birds safe once and for all.

Eva

Eva is a Kell-Billed Toucan that is the wife of Raphael. On the series, she becomes Jewel's female advisor. She points out to Jewel the happy parts of life and reminds Jewel that she has nothing to worry about. Throughout the series, she is showed either visiting Jewel or being with her daughter Esmeralda.

**Instincts Characters**

Boss

Boss is the main villain for the first part of the series. He is an adult Harpy Eagle that scavenges for food with his brother Juan. Unlike Juan, he doesn't settle for the scrap meat humans throw at him and his brother. He sees Blu and just targets him for food. Later, he targets Blu for something much more. He is not afraid to criticize or injure his brother. He is determined on getting Blu, no matter the consequences.

Juan (Also in Jungle Confidence)

Juan is also an adult Harpy Eagle and is the brother of Boss. Unlike his brother, he settles for the free food. He follows the principle: "Lazy Bum" in the first part of the series. At first, he does not want anything to do with Blu, but it changes when Blu laughs at him in the bird sanctuary. In Jungle Confidence, he acts as the main villain. After the events of Jungle Instincts, he is on a hunt for Blu and the bird he loves. He calls on Velox for help and together, they hunt Blu down.

Rafael  (Also in Jungle Confidence)

Not a big role for this Toco Toucan. He serves as a mentor for Blu in the first part of the series. He teaches Blu one of the many instincts he learns in Jungle Instincts. He also meets Boss and Juan the first time with Blu, though he does not ever meet them again. In Jungle Confidence, he is surprised by the visit of Blu and Pepito.

Xavier

Xavier is an injured adult Chaco Chachalaca who is in the bird sanctuary. Blu suspects that Xavier is just faking it to get free food and shelter. Xavier doesn't hold a grudge against Blu, but he enjoys bullying him. Xavier teaches Blu one of the instincts Blu learns. He just makes an agreement to kiss Jewel in order for him to learn. Either he wanted to bully Blu some more or he wanted that special touch from Jewel.

The Brazilian Teal

This duck serves as a bartender for the club Nico and Pedro sing in. Though he doesn't say much, his actions speak louder than words. He serves Blu his drinks and whips up a drink for Jewel even when she didn't ask for one. He shows some concern in Blu's safety, but that doesn't stop this bird serving Blu another drink to get him drunk.

Nico and Pedro

The two famed singers of the bird club. They get the party pumping almost every night. They pay Blu back for saving their lives from the Rio movie by singing "Pretty Bird". They also let the two blue macaws sleep in one of their few pads.

**Confidence Characters**

Mirrored Blu (Also in Jungle Faith)

Mirrored Blu is Blu's imaginary alter ego. He is basically Blu's dark side. He comes time and time to scare Blu about the future. He also knows that if Blu's dies, he's gone. To help Blu, he gives him fighting advice or warns him about what is there to come. In Jungle Faith, the way he warns Blu is like he is not connected to Blu at all. This implies he can see things Blu can't.

Fides (Also in Jungle Faith)

Fides is an adult Lear's Macaw, a macaw a little more abundant than a Spix's Macaw, but it is considered one of the rarest birds. She befriends Blu when he's in the tree she's resting in, getting food. As thanks, Blu invites her over for breakfast, which irritates Jewel. She and Jewel also become good friends. She claims to have lost her mate and her egg. She knows Tulio since he has taken care of her before. She comes to the second part of the Jungle series as an on-and-off character until her real identity is revealed. In Jungle Faith, she finds Blu in the river and the two began to talk. She mentions she has a new mate.

Pepito (Also in Jungle Faith)

Pepito is suspected to be a somewhat naïve Hyacinth Macaw by Blu. He is about two months old and is an orphan. His father died a few days ago before he met Jewel. At first, he annoys Blu and Jewel constantly with his questions and statements. He's just a kid, so he doesn't know any better. With that, he's not afraid to speak his mind. He was born without knowing his mother, and thus inherited most of his traits from his father. He soon learns that Blu and Jewel are family to him. Soon, he confronts his real mother. In Jungle Faith, he meets Blu again and plays a game with Jalin, one of Blu's chicks. During their time playing together, there is a sense of maturity in this chick whom is not afraid to criticize or annoy others.

Esmeralda (Also in Jungle Confidence)

Esmeralda is the chick that popped out of Eva's egg shown in the movie Rio. Rafael thought it would be a boy, but a girl came out of the egg instead. Unlike her seventeen siblings, she is calm and quiet. She respects Eva and Rafael. She has met Blu and Pepito. She decides to call Blu Azul because he's in Brazil now, not America. In Jungle Faith, she meets Jewel and Elena with her mother at the river. She becomes quick friends with Elena.

Velox

Velox is a male Southern Caracara. Juan visits him to get some help in killing Blu. Velox doesn't like Juan very much, but he owes Boss a favor. It is mentioned that Boss saved his life a while back. So with this, he teams up with Juan, but he ends up commanding Juan for the plot to get Blu.

Pepito's Father

Pepito's father was killed on the fourteenth day after Jewel laid her eggs. Pepito was shaped only by his father. He loved Pepito as a son and always took good care of him. His last word to Pepito was forever.

**Faith Characters**

Abe

Abe is an orphaned scientist /inventor, hired by the USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency). He goes to Rio under contract and is to work with Tulio in providing protection for Blu and Jewel. Throughout the third part of the trilogy, he is very open-minded and will criticize Jewel and Blu. He believes saving this species is ridiculous, but he soon learns that Blu is a special bird and befriends him. He makes his own gadgets like the GPS cell phone. After befriending Blu, he decides that he would build an animatron to help Tulio. Though he is smart, resourceful, and creative, he can sometimes slip up and be on the end of the rope. In the beginning, it is mentioned that he worked for the government before. Through the finale, there is a sense on what he did previously for the government.

Jalin

Jalin is the first chick that popped out of his egg. He is the oldest son of Blu and Jewel and is the oldest amongst his siblings, even though it was only by a few seconds. He is quite smart for his age, making him a quick learner. However, he is gullible at times. He has the most respect for Blu and worries about the family. He follows the principles of "How come…", "What if…" and "Why…".

Elena

Elena is only a second older than Leoncio. She is the only daughter of Blu and Jewel. She is the crier of the group. Leoncio always tries to scare her as Jalin tries to protect her if he doesn't believe Leoncio. She respects Jewel, mostly due to the fact she is the only female chick of her family. She is also gullible, but not as much as Jalin. She was the first to speak.

Leoncio

This boy is the youngest out of Blu and Jewel's chicks. He is also every parent's worst nightmare. Being the troublemaker of the group, he likes to trick his siblings or get Blu in trouble. He also has been shown to be a little aggressive. He follows the principle "The strongest will survive". He will always try to be one up his older brother and will get what he wants, no matter how many spanks he gets.

The Animatron

The animatron is a machine that Abe designed to help Blu and Jewel out for their protection. It works all by controls and looks like an actual control. After Abe leaves the bird sanctuary, Tulio hires some Japanese men to improve the robot. They improve the robot to where it can communicate to other birds all by itself. Unfortunately, it is a poorly designed robot compared to Honda's ASIMO. Its vocabulary is not proficient, causing Elena to call him Hi. This animatron also appears in Jewel's nightmare, thinking he's a real macaw.

The Japanese Men

Three Japanese men are hired under Tulio to improve Abe's animatron. They are the most serious characters of the series. They trick Tulio and decide to make a quick million, on top of the pay Tulio handed them. One is called Hayato and the other is called Kenji. Both work for their leader whose name is unknown.

The Latino Policeman

The Latino policeman is part of the dispatch unit Tulio calls for. He demands to see Abe's so-claimed evidence, which Abe refuses.

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><p>Okay, I believe I got all of the characters that made an impression throughout the series. I basically wanted to recap all the characters that stuck out before I talk and review my stories separately. Now, if you read this, but you failed to read the Jungle series, I urge you to read it since this will not be summarized version of the series. Plus, you're missing out. Even though it is not as descriptive or insightful compared to other Rio fanfics, it does have well-deserved ideas and a few laughs.<p> 


	3. Jungle Instincts

Let's begin in order, starting with Jungle Instincts. Jungle Instincts is the first M story of Rio that describes a remaining vivid sex scene. I have read the only other, one not being finished. The other one had the sensation of a real M story. It basically goes back and forth of Jewel and Blu being sexual active and doing it, but it lacks the actual scene by the author's point of view. I mean you do now it's there, but the author fails to describe the sex scene. Plus, the curse words are there, but not the entire words. Even though people can decipher what the word is by the first and last letter and counting how many symbols are presented in-between them, I think it somewhat lacks the atmosphere of being an M story. It sort of reminds me of what my sisters watch: "The Secret Life of an American Teenager" with curse words. I do enjoy the scenes of this story though.

Jungle Instincts was never supposed to be rated M. I never intended it to. In fact, I never intended it to be an actual love comedy. Jungle Instincts was designed to describe just Jewel's healing and the support Blu gave her. That was all. On top of that, he was just to take Blu only a couple of chapters to learn all the instincts. It was rated T as most as my viewers remember it.

What inspired me to write Jungle Instincts was just the movie. I had watched it a couple of times, minus the theater. I was currently working on my final Land Before Time fanfic when I hatched an idea for Rio. I wrote the first chapter and then got stuck. Because I get summers off from work, I was able to think and update the chapters in two days or less. Jungle Instincts was not supposed to have villains in it, but with no leads to the next chapter, I did what I always do when I get stuck: Google Search. Because of Google, the birds are what the birds are. Thanks Google!"

After writing the third chapter, I thought of all the instincts presented in the story. I figured the only way to present them were through comical relief. So when I was going to introduce an instinct after the fourth chapter, I thought of comical situations for each instinct and the ideas flowed from there.

Chapters 7, 8, and 9 are prime examples of this. In chapter 7, you got Xavier that always tried to grief Blu in anyways possible. The idea came from basically bullying. Not like a school bully though. More like a Greaser bully. In chapter 8, Jewel is reading a book on sex. I thought it would be comical for a bird to read about sex. It's darkly comical when a person reads it, so I use that idea. Chapter 9 was not a hard one to write. Blu's already clumsy in the movie, so just adding him to the chapter made it easier to write.

By this chapter, I wasn't thinking of a sex scene until I got a review from Crazy For Rio. The reader left this review at the end of chapter 9: "I am really enjoying this story! The book Jewel read at the library in the last chapter was an incredible idea! Are you going to include a mating scene between Blu and Jewel in this story? There aren't many of those out there and I think you would do a great job at it! Please take this idea into consideration because I love this couple so much! You are very talented and I can't wait to read more of this story!". At first, I just going to imply they had sex, but then I thought I had already written sex scenes for two of my Land Before Time fanfics. A third sex scene wouldn't hurt. I still wasn't confident about it, so I wrote Chapter 10: "At the Club". This was starting to be more like an M story. At first, I thought the alcohol wasn't really M, but I reconsidered that after using actual bar mixed drinks. Then it was "Arguing and Other Things" that introduced a vivid sex scene from the author's point of view. Thus, I changed the intended T story into M.

After that, it was just a matter to sum up everything. It was quite easy to end the story with the sex scene in the story. Supposedly, it was to be only one story, but after the reviews and the support I decided that there were some parts I could still explore, and thus, Jungle Confidence was born.


	4. Jungle Confidence

I'll now explain "Jungle Confidence". It was this part of the story that almost destroyed the trilogy. Basically, I had no thought out plan. I thought I did, but it was an understatement. An impulse on my behalf. I knew I would be Juan back to avenge his brother. I just didn't know exactly what to do. When I was writing Chapter 2: "A Rough Early Morning", I decided to make Blu unconfident about hatching these eggs. Now, "Jungle Confidence" was planned to be a comical story. I just didn't have the characters for it. Thus, I introduced Fides. Fides means, according to Wikipedia, trust in Latin so Blu was supposed to get a sense of trust from this character. He did, but I viewed Fides as being a character I can poke at once and that was it.

Being stuck, I decided to use the resources around me. It happened at my relative's house. My uncle was telling me a joke in Spanish. The joke, in English, goes like this:

_The teacher at a local elementary school faced her class._

"_Okay. Tomorrow, I want you to bring something from home that helps you when you're sick or injured. You must tell me what it does to get full credit."_

_The bell rang, and the class was dismissed._

_Presentations began right away the next day. The teacher was going to pick by those who volunteered first. Pepito raised his hand as high as he could._

"_Teacher! Teacher!"_

_The teacher saw the hand, but she didn't dare pick on Pepito. She looked around the class and picked someone else._

"_Juan?"_

_The kid pulled out a bandage._

"_This is a bandage. My dad said that bandages are used to cover small cuts so they don't get infected."_

"_Very good. Perfect score. Who's next?"_

_Pepito had his hand raised, jumping up and down in his seat._

"_Um, Rosa?"_

_The kid pulled out a First Aid kit._

"_This is a First Aid Kit. My mama said it has everything to bandage cuts and bruises."_

"_Great. Another perfect score."_

_The teacher went through everyone in the class. All the time, Pepito has his hand raised. Since he was the last one, the teacher picked him._

"_Okay, Pepito. What did you bring?"_

_Pepito pulled out an oxygen tank. The teacher was impressed by this._

"_What is that?" she asked with excitement._

"_It's an oxygen tank."_

"_Do you know what is it used for?"_

"_My grandma said this: "Pepito…Can't br…eathe! Can't…"_

Pepito was a very naïve kid and is not afraid to speak his mind. I decided to incorporate this into the story. Instead of making Pepito totally naïve, I decided to make him have some maturity. By using this character, I was able to end this part of the story.

When I was going to introduce Pepito, I realized that Blu might still have some confidence in him. I decided to make mirrored Blu to wipe out any possibility of that. Everyone has a somewhat dark side, so Blu would be no exception.

As the story progressed, I decided to change one of my characters. It would fit the end of the story, which it did.

Now, the comical ideas come from poking fun at Blu and Jewel and things I saw. In Chapter 7: "Disturbed", the idea came from my psychology professor. He told us when he was having sex one time, his kid barges in his room. He became mad and told his kid to go back to his room. Blu somewhat had a sense of irritability that reflects of what probably some males would do in that situation. In Chapter 9: "Rainy Day", the tetherball joke comes from when my friends and I were playing soccer. We went to a public school during their summer break to play on their field. Before playing, we saw a tetherball. A friend and I played. I ended up getting hit in the arm and head. After the short head trauma, I decided to incorporate that experience as a joke. In Chapter 12: "Epilogue", I decided to give Pepito one more joke. Kids break things by accident or curiosity. Since Mom and Dad bring stuff home, they think it is free. Pepito is no exception.

Even though this part of the trilogy was a comedy, I decided to bring feelings of sorrow that was not reflected in "Jungle Instincts". By changing Fides into another bird and by saying in the beginning that Pepito's father was dead, I made Pepito and Jewel have horrible pasts. It worked out really well, because they learned to respect one another. Chapter 10: "Goodbye" was the icing of this sorrow cake. I had to make believe what happen happened. Not only I had to make it believable, but I had to present it in one point of view. It turned out to be one of the saddest moments throughout the series in my opinion.

"Jungle Confidence" is probably the only part of the series that has a mixture of laughs and extreme grieves. "Jungle Faith", which I will discuss in the next section, had laughs that matched or somewhat were in the same scale as "Jungle Confidence", but "Jungle Confidence" displayed a few of the saddest parts compared to "Jungle Faith" which had a lighter atmosphere.

All in all, Jungle Confidence was a good story mixed with more emotions than Jungle Instincts and Jungle Faith. Even though there might be some dark parts and some vivid imagery, it is still a T-rating story in my opinion. Next is my talk about the finale, "Jungle Faith".


	5. Jungle Faith

Jungle Faith is the last of the trilogy. Unlike Jungle Instincts and Jungle Confidence, I viewed readers as being third and third and third. Jungle Faith basically started off at a 180-flip from the series. Instead of brining characters that appeared in the trilogy for a prologue, a new character is introduced. As soon as the first chapter was up, there was a sense of doubt in the story. Well, it was intended. I decided to introduce not only the characters a sense doubt, but also the readers. The doubt flickered on and off throughout the finale, making it one of the most reviewed story I made, mixed with half positive and half negative reviews. However, the end restored the faith of the series, even though I was in a rush, which I'm always am.

Jungle Faith is the only part of the trilogy that introduces new humans. You got Abe, the Japanese, and the Latino policeman. Jungle Faith comes from when I was watching "Modern Marvels" in the History Channel. The story has facts from the robotic industry in Japan and the United States. Lucky the Dinosaur was built in 2005 as a very life-like animatron. I did want to talk about technology, so for Jungle Faith, I thought what was the most doubtful thing that is real in the world. Robots were the easiest answer.

I also introduced the three chicks. Their personalities came from middle school kids I tutored in the past. Since they were kids, I brought back references I couldn't use with Pepito and used it on them. It worked. So, the kids were considered the main comical relief on the story.

Because I was introducing robots, I needed a smart character. Because he was smart, he easily thought himself too good for society. His annoyance towards the government is expressed in Chapter 1: "Prologue" and Chapter 7: "Disappointments". I didn't want to make him serious, like the Japanese men, so I added some comic relief in terms that he is not afraid to speak his mind.

The whole thing about Jewel beating up Blu comes from what wives might feel when their husbands mess up. Chapter 5: "The Dream" and Chapter 6: "Frozen Peas" expresses how Jewel feels when Blu messes up. By Chapter 6, I needed to explain myself, so I wrote Chapter 7: "Disappointments" to include Jewel's truthful past.

The relationship that Blu and Abe had was a point of them having faith in each other. They both learn something from each other and decide to help one another. It symbolizes another principle "Friends, no foes".

Jungle Faith was a good finale I believe. It had a powerful message at the end compared to the other two parts. It also introduced new points in the world that are really out there. At first, this was going to end up with the robot fully active as a bird and destroying Blu's life, but I wanted to keep the story realistic, so I took the route I took. As much as robots are tabooed by some, humanoid robots have been seen in the public since the year 2000.


	6. Conclusion

I hoped you've enjoyed my thoughts and feelings throughout this discussion. All these discussions are just my opinions, so don't criticize on my own opinions. People express their feelings about a person's idea, so why not a person presenting the idea give his opinions and reasoning? If you read my discussion, I really appreciate it. I do have one more final idea for Rio. It will be rated M. I found a thing I wanted to poke at. I was rushed with Jungle Faith to have some adequate time to plan out this story. Now, the topic won't be revealed until probably tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, but I will include characters from the Jungle Series. Here's the list: Blu, Jewel, Elena, Jalin, Leoncio, Pepito, Fides, mirrored Blu, Linda, Abe, Rafael, Eva, Nico, and Pedro. I might have a few new supporting characters. Now, this upcoming story is not part of the trilogy and it is going to be the last Rio story I do. Until next time, readers of the Jungle.


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